We Might Fall
by darkwolf76
Summary: Juniper Evans has always felt content, thrilled even, to live in her sister Lily's shadow. But when she is quite literally yanked into the light by a band of marauders, she finds that dogs can be sweet (when they want to be), that you should never reveal your trade secrets to a boy that has an obsession with your sister, and that far darker shadows loom over them all.
1. Lady of the Lake

**Hello and thank you for checking out my fic! This is not the first story I've written, and I've been a big fan of the HP series since I was little. However, this is my story for the HP fandom, so I'd really appreciate any feedback, opinions, or comments you have. I've had the idea for this story and character for awhile and I'm eager to share it with you all! The input I receive from readers will help me make it even better, so please leave a review and share what you think!**

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 **Chapter 1: The Lady of the Lake**

Cokeworth, England, was a distinctly non-magical place. A post industrial town with uniform brick houses, a recently shut down mill, and a muggy river, it had a mundane sense of normalcy about it. That is perhaps why Jack and Rose Evans had settled down to raise their growing family there. They felt the streets safe and wholesome enough to let their three little girls run free to play without any worry that something horrible or unusual would happen to them.

On one hazy summer afternoon, the three Evans sisters were running down one of those streets to the local park, or perhaps more accurately, 11 year old Petunia and 9 year old Lily were dragging their sister Juniper there.

"It's too hot to go outside," Juniper mumbled, her mess of brown curls bouncing as she shook her head.

"But you HAVE to come Juney!" Lily insisted to her twin, her lip curling down into an adorable pout as she tugged her sister along by the elbow. "It's so pretty today!"

"Oh just leave her alone if she's going to be such a spoilsport!" Petunia shot over her shoulder as she led the way, as any proper older sister would.

"But Tuney, we're sisters! We can't go without Juney!" Lily said resolutely, still tugging her fraternal twin along.

Petunia let out an exaggerated sigh and whipped around to face the twins, hands on her hips. She glared at the them with icy blue eyes. Juniper thought she looked far too severe for her eleven years, with her thin lips twisted into a scowl and blonde hair pulled up into a tight bun.

"You two are being ridiculous!" She turned her gaze on Juniper, her scowl growing deeper when she spotted the thick blue book clutched in the little girl's arms. "Would it really kill you to get a few hours of fresh air, Juniper? You've been cooped up all day with that dusty old book."

Juniper casted her green eyes towards the ground as she cradled the novel to her chest like a baby. "It's a good story," she said. "And I was just getting to the exciting part."

Lily frowned as she relinquished her sister's arm, studying her with matching bright green eyes. "Do you really not want to play with us, Juney?"

Juniper glanced between her sisters, Petunia's face pinched in indignance and Lily's pleading. She sighed. "A few hours in the park wouldn't be so bad I guess. It's nice to read outside sometimes."

Lily let out a whoop of excitement before breaking into a sprint. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" Her laughter sounded like bells and her bright red hair streamed behind her like a flame as she ran ahead.

Petunia rolled her eyes. "Come on, Juney," she said, placing a motherly hand on her little sister's shoulder. The two followed behind at a much slower pace.

"What story are you reading that's so amazing anyway?" She queried.

Juniper shifted the book in her arms in order to show the older girl the front cover. "The Lady of the Lake," she grinned, reading aloud the title printed in ornate golden font across the leather cover. "It's about Nimue, how she discovered she had powers and became a great sorceress, and made Excalibur for King Arthur. She then went to his court and helped him from the shadows become the greatest king Britain ever knew."

Petunia's mouth turned up into a rare smile. She ran a hand through her Juniper's untamed curls, making the little girl blanche. "Tuney!"

"You do make your book sound more appealing than playing in this heat," Petunia chuckled. "But you need to pull your head out of the clouds Juney." She stepped back. "That story is a lovely dream to have, but unlike the Lady of the Lake, you aren't some mystical spell caster. You need to get your nose out of your books and talk to people more."

Juniper frowned at her sister, a little embarrassed. She knew Petunia was right, but she'd always found it much more pleasant to spend her time with characters rather than real people. They were more exciting, and not as difficult to talk to. She always had Lily to do the talking for her anyway. She was the charming, sociable one of the pair them. Juniper just wasn't good at that sort of thing. She never knew the right thing to say like Lily did.

She clutched her book tighter to her chest as she and Petunia walked the rest of the way in silence. Lily had already gotten to the swings in the play area of the park and was soaring through the air when they arrived. "Come on, you rotten eggs!" She called with a smile as she pumped her legs. "Bet you can't go higher than me!"

Petunia, always the competitive type, rushed over to the swing set to take Lily up on her challenge. Juniper, on the other hand, just smiled and shook her head, waving at her sister before wandering off to find a good place to read. She ended up settling down on a wooden bench under the shade of a massive birch tree not too far off. She tuned out the creaking of the swings and her sisters' voices as they exchanged playful taunts, intent on getting back to Nimue, whom had last been deciding which spells she needed to use to make Excalibur.

Swept up in the narrative, she didn't pay much mind to her surroundings until Petunia let out an almighty shriek. "Lily, don't!"

Juniper glanced up with wide eyes just as Lily launched herself from her swing at the highest point in its arc. Petunia cried out in fright, probably worried her reckless baby sister would crumple on the ground, broken. Juniper didn't scream though, because she knew in her gut that Lily had the situation under control. Twins just had a strange connection like that. She could sense Lily's confidence as she sailed through the air, flipping gracefully like an acrobat against the blue sky before she landed on her feet so lightly, it almost seemed unnatural.

"Lily Jane Evans!" Petunia screeched as she dragged her feet on the ground to stop her swing. "You could have broken your neck! What would I have told mum if that had happened?" Lily simply laughed, grinning wide at Petunia.

Juniper jumped when she heard a twig snapping. She glanced at the brush directly behind her, narrowing her eyes at the green foliage, but it simply shuddered in a passing hot summer breeze.

"Juney!" Lily called. Juniper turned forward to see her twin jogging up to the bench, flushed and smiling. "Did you see my flip?" She asked, excitement alight in her green eyes.

"I did," Juniper giggled. "I heard Tuney squealing too. How did you not break you neck Lily?" she asked, tilting her head. Because Lily had quite literally _flown_ through the air. It just seemed a bit _off._

"I dunno," Lily shrugged, glancing at the ground. She reached down to pluck a handful wild flowers growing nearby the bench. She looked at Juniper with a small smile. "I just imagined doing the flip I guess, then I was able to do it." She handed a few flowers to Juniper. "Here Juney, let's make flower crowns for me, you, and Tuney. If there's enough, maybe we'll even make mum one."

Juniper sighed, her curiosity not quite sated, but did it really matter? She played with the stems of the flowers and studied them for a moment before she got to work. The bundle contained a mixture of large pink dog roses and tiny, delicate nightshade flowers. She recognized them from one of her mother's botany books.

Nimue had used nightshade for one of her healing potions earlier in her story. Juniper plucked a pale nightshade blossom from its stalk and held it in the palm of her hand. She imagined she was a sorceress like Nimue, able to bend the flowers to her will, mutter a few incantations, and then make a sick child well again. Juniper wanted to do that. Grandma and Grandpa had practiced medicine too, and they had pulled people back from the brink of death almost everyday when they worked. What they did, what Nimue did, it almost seemed like a wondrous magic to her, to posses the power to will life back into a person. But Petunia was right, nothing about Juniper or her world was magical.

The tiny flower in her palm closed up, as if it sensed her defeat. Her eyes widened, and with her surprise, the flower opened back up. She blinked, wondering if she'd imagined it, but sure enough, the petals opened and closed of their own accord several more times.

"Juney!" Lily gasped, letting her half weaved flower crown fall into her lap. "How are you doing that!?"

"I just imagined it," Juniper mumbled, repeating her sister's own reasoning, still quite unsure herself how the flower was moving.

"I wanna try!" Lily said excitedly, plucking a pink rose from her crown and holding it in her palm like her twin. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the flower. The rose seemed to shiver under her willful gaze for a moment, then it snapped shut like an oyster.

"Tuney!" Lily screeched, making Juniper flinch. "Come look!"

Petunia ran over to her sisters, out of breath. "What in the world is it?" She asked, concern shining in her eyes.

"Look what we can do!" Lily exclaimed, offering up her open palm to Petunia and motioning at Juniper.

The older girl squinted at her sisters' hands and then squeaked when she saw their moving flowers. Her eyes bulging from her head, she opened her mouth several times before she stuttered, "How-how are you doing that!? It's _unnatural_."

The bush that Juniper had heard a noise from earlier rustled in response. All three girls stared in surprise as a boy stumbled out of its branches. Tripping over his baggy pants, he batted leaves out of his hair with his too long sleeves as he tried to regain his footing.

"Who are you?!" Petunia asked sharply.

The boy ignored her, instead focusing his dark eyes on the twins. He glanced over Juniper then settled his gaze on Lily, some odd sort of admiration shining there. "That's easy," he panted. A piece of his stringy black hair fell over his face as he grinned at them. "You're witches."

"What a horrible thing to say!" Lily gasped, standing immediately. Both Petunia and Lily glared at him, hands on their hips.

The boy flinched under Lily's ire, his cheeks flushing as he fumbled with his words. "I didn't mean it as an insult. It's -it's good. It just means you have -"

"You've been watching us from the bushes this whole time, haven't you?!" Petunia interrupted. When the boy's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed more, she gasped. "You little freak!" She turned to her little sisters. "Lily, Juniper, we're going home now! " she commanded in her bossy-big-sister voice. She turned up her nose and marched away, expecting the twins to follow her like little ducklings follow their mother.

Lily did just that, casting a glowering green glare at the boy before she immitated her older sister. "Yeah, let's go Juney!" She declared in her bossy-twin-sister voice as she charged off.

"No wait!" The boy implored, reaching out a hand and staring desperately after Lily as she slipped further from his reach.

Yet Juniper just stayed in place on the bench, her book still in her lap, and the enchanted blossom still moving in her hand. She studied the strange boy with a raised brow. "What do we have?" She asked quietly.

The boy blinked as he turned towards her, surprised, as if he hadn't noticed that she was still there. "Wha?"

"You said we were witches," Juniper mumbled, tilting her head. "That we have something. What do you mean?"

The boy looked down at her blossom, still moving, before he met her gaze again. "Isn't it obvious?" He asked, tucking a strand of greasy hair behind his ear. "You have magic."

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 **I know there was no Hogwarts or marauders this chaprer, but I promise that they are coming, along with a lot of other great characters and ideas I have planned, if you'll just hang with me! Please leave a review to let me what you think and might want to see. Your reviews will only help the story and writing get better. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Mundane to Magical

**Wow! I was baffled how great of a response last chapter got! Thank you so much for all the support. Also, thank you to the awesome January Lily for looking over this chapter for me! She has a whole slew of amazing stories, so go check them out of you want to read some awesome fic! As promised, I'm back with a new chapter with some new sights and new characters. Enjoy and please leave a review to tell me what you thought and might want to see next! The encouragement always helps.;-)**

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 **Chapter 2: Mundane to Magical**

The lives of the Evans twins hadn't changed too much since they befriended Severus Snape, but in their young minds, it seemed their entire reality had shifted. Once Juniper had coaxed Lily into actually hearing Severus out, her excitement about their magic and curiosity about the Wizarding World had been insatiable. With as much ferocity as Lily had rebuffed the Snape boy the first time they'd met, she now embraced him as a friend, dragging Juniper off to the park every afternoon they could spare to spend time with Severus and ask him more about the mystical and mysterious Wizarding World.

Juniper felt excited too, even if she expressed it in a more reserved way than Lily. Her dreams had filled with charms, potions, wands, and magical creatures. She _did_ have magic, and _was_ a sorceress like Nimue, or at least she could be someday. She saw the whole world in a new light. With every story she read, every plant and animal she discovered, every day filled with new possibility because magic was _real_.

However, not every change in their lives had been positive. The Evans sisters, from the time they were very young, had established a very specific dynamic. Brilliant and charming, Lily always headed the charge, leading her sisters into fantastical adventures, real and imaginary. Sensible Petunia was always right behind, flocking both of her younger siblings like a mother hen, determined to keep them safe. Juniper always followed, keeping her sisters tempers in check and peace between them, coming up with the smaller details of their imaginary worlds to add magic to their journeys, and an occasional laugh. The introduction of Severus had drastically altered that group dynamic.

It all came to a head one early summer morning when Lily and Juniper were eleven. They and Severus had taken shelter from the beating sun in a small thicket of trees not far from the park. A small little stream ran through the woods, glittering in the stray rays of sunlight that managed to pierce the thick green canopy above. Lily and Severus sat crossed legged on the bank, chattering away, while Juniper leaned against the trunk of a sturdy oak, flipping through the pages of an old, thick potions volume that Severus had let her barrow. She needed to get ahead if she was going to be a renowned healer like Nimue.

She only half-listened to their conversation until she heard Lily fretting over their letters. "Sev, are you sure Juney and I will get letters? It's almost July and nothing's come yet. Do we really have enough magic to go to Hogwarts?"

Juniper glanced over as Severus stood up in front of her sister. "Of course you do Lily! You have loads of magic!" The normally withdrawn boy brimmed with such confidence, even with his large smokish shirt, he struck an impressive figure. "Even I haven't gotten my letter yet, but I definitely will, and so will you." He smiled triumphantly. "Well, both of you," he added, almost as an afterthought, glancing nervously at Juniper.

She just gave a small smile and rolled her eyes. She'd seen from their very first meeting that Severus had a massive crush on her sister, one that Lily was oblivious to. Juniper had thought about telling her twin, but it really wasn't her secret to share. She couldn't say she was as close to Severus as Lily, but she liked him well enough. He'd let her and Lily borrow his mom's old school books, and was the one that had told them all about magic and the school they'd attend.

"When do you think they'll come?" Lily asked as Severus sat down again.

"In the next few weeks," Severus shrugged. "Mine will come by owl, but someone from the school will probably deliver yours, to explain everything to your parents, since they're muggles."

"Will it matter that we're from a muggle family?" Juniper asked quietly. She didn't know why she'd asked, there was just something about Severus's face when he said the word "muggle". Not very noticeable, but his mouth got all pinched, like he'd just eaten something sour.

"What do you mean?" Severus whipped around towards her, a surprised look on his face.

"We wouldn't know anything about magic if you hadn't told us," Juniper tilted her head. "Will they treat us different?"

An uneasy expression crossed Severus's face as she stared at him. His dark eyes glanced away as he fiddled with his hair. "Well..."

"Will they, Sev?" Lily frowned in worry.

The young boy's brow furrowed at seeing her distress, and almost like a reflex he responded, "No! No, a lot of kids are muggle born." His chest puffed out in pride. "And you'll have me to help you. Not that you'll need it, you're brilliant already!"

Juniper was about to roll her eyes again as Lily grinned at Severus, but then the sharp sound of a twig snapping filled the clearing. Leaves crunched under her feet as Petunia lost her balance and revealed her hiding place behind a tree.

"Tuney!" Lily happily called in greeting, but it was drowned out by Severus's harsh exclamation.

"What are _you_ doing here?!" He sneered, jumping up.

Petunia snarled in return, brushing dirt off her striped jumper before she strutted into the clearing, hands on her hips. "I'm just making sure my sisters are safe! I don't trust them with a _freak_ like you!"

"Tuney!" Lily snapped, standing to protect her friend.

"So you were spying on us!? Sounds like if anyone is the freak, it's you! You don't belong here!" Severus growled, a viciousness entering his black eyes that made Juniper uncomfortable. It only seemed to ever appear when Petunia was around. Their older sister had never come around to Severus and had even tried to convince their mum that he was dangerous, but Rose had simply laughed it off, saying it was good they were making more friends. Not that Severus had ever done anything to improve Petunia's opinion of him. Whenever Petunia was there, Severus acted very condescending, like he thought spending time with their older sister was beneath him and that she wasn't even fit to be in their presence. It didn't sit well with Juniper, though she'd never said.

Petunia narrowed her light blue eyes. "Me a freak?" She scoffed. " I'm not the one always wearing my mummy's blouses because I don't have clothes that fit! "

A loud crack splintered the air as a branch overheard snapped and fell right on top of Petunia.

"Tuney!" Lily cried.

Juniper didn't make a sound, just rising to her feet as concern for her sister filled her.

Both ran over as Petunia pushed the branch off. She was clutching her arm to her body and fresh scratches covered her face. Juniper felt a sharp ache in her chest when Petunia let out a sob, tears trailing down her cheeks as she stumbled to her feet.

"Tuney!" Juniper reached out to put a hand in her sister's shoulder, but Petunia jerked away.

"Don't touch me!" she screeched. She glared at her two younger sisters, but instead of her normal expression of indignant anger or annoyance, she looked _hurt_. Turning away, she sprinted off, sobbing.

"You hurt our sister!" Lily rounded on Severus, her green eyes burning with anger.

"I-I, Lily, I didn't!" He denied. He was lying. But Juniper didn't have time to deal with Severus Snape and his lies. She ran after her sister. She needed to make sure she was okay.

With Lily not far behind, the twins chased Petunia home. She was fine; their mum had bandaged her scratches and sprained wrist, but when Petunia blamed Severus for the injuries, Rose dismissed it, saying no little boy could make a branch fall. Juniper felt horrible when Petunia looked at her sisters with hurt a second time that day, because what she said was probably true.

Tuney hid herself in her room and wouldn't speak to anyone for days. Even when their dad came home and tried to cajole her out of her dark mood with one to his usual jokes, it didn't work. The twins pleaded with Petunia, but she just ignored them. After a few days, Lily grew impatient and went to play with Severus again, because surely he didn't _mean_ to hurt Tuney.

Maybe he didn't, but Juniper couldn't leave Petunia so sad. When Lily tried tug her out of the house that morning, she said no, one of the few times she'd ever gone against twin's demands. Once Lily left, Juniper gathered some supplies and crept to Petunia's room. She knocked on the door lightly, but there was no answer. She knocked again, but there was still no response. It was only after the tenth knock that Petunia opened the door.

"What!?" She shouted as she stuck her head out, her cheeks flushed in anger.

Juniper flinched, biting her lip nervously. "Tuney, can I come in? I just wanted to make sure you're okay..."

"Why? You haven't seemed to care very much about me since you and Lily got friendly with that little freak. You never bother to spend any time with me any more, " Petunia spat, but Juniper could see the tears gathering in her eyes.

"We don't mean to Tuney. It's just Lily wants to know more and Sev doesn't -"

"Oh, don't act like you don't want to go along with it. It doesn't matter what horrid things that Snape boy does, Lily always go running back to play with him and you always follow, going along with everything and believing every word he says about that stupid imaginary school."

"Tuney, we miss you..." Juniper mumbled. "I know you've felt left out, so I thought..." She looked at her feet and offered up the paper and pen she was holding.

"What is that for?" Petunia studied the objects in suspicion.

"Sev said..." Juniper, paused thinking better of mentioning the boy her sister so detested. "I was told the headmaster at Hogwarts is really nice, and I thought maybe we could write him, to ask if you could come to school in the fall too."

"Why would I do a thing like that?" Petunia sniffed.

"Because I'd miss you a lot of you didn't come. It's not fair that you can't go," Juniper admitted.

"I don't have 'magic' though," Petunia emphasized the word with air quotes, like she didn't believe any of it was real.

Juniper cocked her head, and that rate stubborn streak that she rarely felt came to the surface. "There must be some mistake." She furrowed her brow. "If you had a good teacher I know you could learn."

"I thought that Snape boy said you had to be born-"

"He doesn't know everything," Juniper frowned. "He acts like it, but I bet there's a lot he doesn't know. Please Tuney." She blinked at her sister with pleading green eyes.

Petunia's cold facade cracked. She glanced at her sister and wrung her hands. "You...You think they can really teach me?"

"You're really smart Tuney," Juniper nodded.

"Well..." Petunia thought for a second. "I guess it couldn't hurt." Slowly, she opened her bedroom door and stepped aside to let her little sister through. Juniper scampered in and laid the paper on Petunia's desk.

"His name is Dumbledore," She told her sister, scrawling a greeting to the head master at the top of the page. She glanced over her shoulder, only to see Petunia smiling. It was the first time Tuney had smiled in months. "What?"

"Thanks for doing this," Petunia muttered, slightly embarrassed.

"You're my sister, Tuney," Juniper held out the pen to the older girl. "We stick together, no matter what. "

"No matter what," Petunia agreed, taking the pen.

* * *

Just as Severus had promised, the twins' Hogwarts letters had arrived less than a week later, delivered by one of the school's staff. Their parents probably acted more excited than they did about the Wizarding World, especially their dad. Juniper's day dreams suddenly became a magical reality. She and Lily had gone with their parents to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies, and had come home laden with trunks full of robes, books, and other magical artifacts. The most exciting purchases they'd mad by far had been their wands and animals.

In the last hazy days of summer, Lily would swish her willow wand around, making colorful sparks for her new cat Domino to the play with, while Juniper would simply trace her finger over the applewood of her own wand, quietly reading to her new barred owl, Nimue.

September 1st had came quicker than they'd realized, and Juniper, despite her innate shyness, felt excited as they drove to King's Cross Station in London. She'd have Lily with her, and she also knew Severus, so she didn't worry too much. But despite her efforts, she wouldn't have her other sister with her.

Juniper stood quietly next to her parents on the busy platform 9 3/4. Smoke from the train filled the air, and anticipation buzzed in the crowd as older students reunited with friends and upcoming first years said last minute goodbyes to their parents. Juniper, however just silently watched her two sisters, a little way off. Lily, already in dressed in her black school robes, was trying to make amends with their older sister before they were parted for months, but Petunia wouldn't hear of it. Petunia must have said something particularly nasty, because Lily turned red, her temper set off, and started crying as she angrily snapped something in return. She then stalked off, leaving Petunia to pout by the wall.

Swallowing hard, Juniper clutched her copy of _Lady of the Lake_ to her jumper and walked towards her sister, hoping to make her own attempt at reconciliation.

"Tuney," she called. Petunia refused to look at her, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at the brick wall of the train station. "Tuney, I'm going to miss you," Juniper said quietly.

Petunia didn't even spare her a glance as she snapped, "Well, I'm glad you're leaving. As I told Lily, we can't have _freaks_ like you two terrorizing the public."

Juniper froze, her green eyes widening in shock. She knew Petunia had been hurt by Dumbledore's reply, but she had thought her sister had gotten over most of her anger and jealousy. After they'd written that letter to Hogwarts together, Petunia had warmed up to her and Lily, only to give them the cold shoulder again when she got a letter from Dumbledore, denying her admission to the school. Juniper had thought that she was just sad about the rejection, not that she still was angry.

"Tuney, I-"

"I am so glad that old cooke turned me away," Petunia looked over her shoulder, casting her sister an icy glare. "It's reassurance that I'm not messed up, like you."

Juniper frowned as she took a step back. "I just wanted to help Tuney. I'm sorry you got hurt."

"Oh, really? Why did Lily and the Snape boy know about the letter then?!" Petunia whipped around, her hands balled into fists.

Juniper blinked in confusion. "I didn't tell anyone. It was our secret."

Petunia sneered. "Don't play innocent with me! Lily said she and the Shape boy saw the letter. They wouldn't even know to look for it if you hadn't told them about it!"

"But I didn't tell! " Juniper insisted.

Petunia just glared at her a moment and then crossed her arms. "I'm glad you freaks won't be in my life anymore. I've known you were wrong in the head for years, reading those stupid books, already wanting to be one of _them_. And _you_ are even worse than the others. You tried to lure me into going to that stupid castle with you."

Petunia had always looked after them, Juniper and Lily both. No matter how much they had bickered in the past, in the end, they'd always looked after each other, they'd promised each stick together, no matter what. But Petunia had abandoned that promise. She'd rejected their other sister, driving her to tears, and now she was doing the same to Juniper.

Juniper hadn't made too many friends in her life, and she'd confided in even fewer, but no one had ever thrown her hopes back in her face quite so viciously. Juniper didn't react with tears though, nor did she get angry. But in that moment, her trust in Petunia was shattered, and she decided she wouldn't ever forgive her. So with a passive face and calm voice, she said, "Well, villains shouldn't ever be trusted with magic. Enjoy your _normal_ life, Petunia."

She then turned and walked away, holding her book so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

"Junip, what's wrong?" Juniper glanced up at the affectionate nickname and saw her dad standing over her, a frown on his face.

"Nothing," she mumbled, shrugging. "Tuney is just being... "

"Difficult?" Jack Evans frowned, raising a brow. Juniper nodded. Out of all the girls, she had always been the closest with her dad. She had his unruly brown curls and green eyes, and even though she was quiet like her mum, she had her dad's heart. They understood each other in a way that other members of their family didn't.

"I'll talk to her," Jack promised. "Meanwhile," he pulled Juniper into a tight hug. "You don't let her ruin your first day of school. You and your sister go have fun and become the brilliant little witches I know you can be, okay?"

A small smile spread across Juniper's lips. "Okay," she said, hugging her dad tighter. She was going to miss him the most.

Jack pulled back and grinned at his daughter. "And remember, you have our little surprise to look forward to as well. Make sure you show Lily on the train ride, eh? I'm depending on you to keep her on her toes while I'm not around."

Juniper giggled as he ruffled her curls. "Yeah, Dad, I promise."

"Alright then," he winked at her. "Go say goodbye to your mum, then get on that train."

After Juniper hugged her mother and promised to write first chance she got, she boarded the Hogwarts Express.

She found Lily alone in a compartment towards the back of the train, curled up in a window seat, crying. She quietly stepped inside, then took a seat on the red cushioned bench next to her twin. Setting her book and the little bag she'd been carrying aside, she put a hand on Lily's shoulder. "It'll be alright, Lils. Petunia isn't worth crying over."

Lily turned towards her, her eyes red and puffy. "But-but she said we were freaks, Juney."

"She's jealous, and mean," Juniper shook her head. "And she just wanted to get back at us for the letter." She frowned. "Though it didn't help that you showed it to Sev, of all people. Why did you show him Lily? You know he's always hated Petunia."

Lily scowled, "I didn't just let him read it! We were looking in Tuney's room after I told him about the owl that came to our house. We were just curious."

Both the twins had a curious nature, and loved to learn, but Lily had always pursued knowledge in a far more active, sometimes reckless, way than Juniper, and it had gotten her in trouble a number of times. This was one of those times, though Juniper couldn't really fault Lily for wanting to know if Petunia was okay. Severus on the the other hand, had more questionable motives. Juniper decided in that moment that perhaps she didn't like him too much after all and would have to watch him carefully. She shook her head. "It was supposed to be a secret between sisters. You can't tell Sev everything Lils."

"I guess," Lily conceded, looking at the ground in shame. She fell into a sulking mood and turned away to look out the window. With nothing else to do, Juniper flipped open her copy of _Lady of the Lake,_ determined to finish her second read of the book before they arrived at school.

The train quickly filled with students as they finished bidding final farewells to family and friends. A group of four rowdy first year boys came into the twin's compartment, though they ignored the quiet girls. Juniper simply blocked them out and continued reading, only looking up once Severus entered the compartment. He pushed past the other boys, making a beeline for Lily. Juniper watched him with passive expression, though she did feel a little strange about the way he looked at her sister. It almost felt...creepy.

When he sat down across from them, Lily finally acknowledged his presence. "I don't want to talk to you," she said in a tight voice.

"Why not?" Severus asked in confusion.

"Cuz you had to snoop where you didn't belong," Juniper mumbled under her breath.

Severus furrowed his eyebrows. "What?" He tilted his head.

"Tuney hates us now, because we know about her letter from Dumbledore," Lily snapped.

"So what?" Severus shrugged.

"So she's our sister!" Lily glared at him. Juniper pursed her lips. She would like to say a few choice words to Severus, but as usual, she let her sister take the lead.

"She's only a-" Severus hesitated when Juniper sent him a chilling glare.

"What is she, Sev?" She asked lightly, though anger was building in her chest.

"I-" he pursed his lips, then shrugged. "It doesn't matter." A smile spread across his face. "What does matter is that we're going to Hogwarts!" He looked at the two girls, his dark eyes lighting in excitement. "Everything I've told you about, we'll finally get to learn it!"

Lily half smiled, cheered from her sour mood, but Juniper remained unmoved. What he said didn't change the fact that he had wrecked their relationship with their sister.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," Severus said, his eyes fixed on Lily. Juniper hoped Lily wouldn't be. There's no way she'd end up in Slytherin. While she had dreams, she didn't have the cunning needed to get sorted there, and she didn't want to be separated from Lily. They'd always stuck together, and she didn't think she'd make very many friends without her sister! Also, the notion of her sister being around Sev all the time without her there too didn't sit well with her.

"Slytherin?" One of the boys that had been ignoring them looked over at their group. He peered at them through spectacles with curious hazel eyes, his messy black hair as shiny and fluffy as Severus's was greasy. "Who would want to be in Slytherin?" The boy scoffed. He turned to one of his companions. "I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

The boy he asked was surprisingly pretty, with longish black hair and fine, aristocratic features. He frowned at his friend. "My whole family's been in Slytherin." He didn't seem to pleased by that fact.

"Blimey," Glasses boy joked. "And I thought you seemed alright!"

The pretty boy grinned in a cheeky way that made Juniper want to look away. "Maybe I'll break tradition. Where are you going, if you have a choice?"

Glasses raised his arm towards the ceiling, as if lifting a sword. "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave of heart!' Like my dad."

Juniper's mouth twitched. His enthusiasm was pretty amusing. She then heard something between a sneer and a scoff come from from her. She glanced over to see Severus wearing an expression of utter disdain.

Glasses noticed too, turning on Severus with narrowed eyes. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," Severus said, a sneer twisting his face. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"

"Where're you going to go, seeing as you're neither?" Pretty Boy interrupted. Maybe not the nicest thing to say, but Severus had had it coming.

Glasses howled in laughter, joined by the three other boys. Juniper tried to remain passive but couldn't help her snort. She felt a hard elbow jab her side, and glanced sideways to see Lily glaring at her with flashing green eyes, her face flushed. She then turned her burning gaze onto the laughing boys.

That could only mean one thing. Juniper scrambled into action to prevent Lily's wrath from being unleashed on unwitting victims. Just as Lily open her mouth, Juniper piped up, "I'm hungry! Anyone else?" Everyone stared at her, like they hadn't realized she was there. She swallowed hard, her pulse picking up. She hated being the center of attention, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

She grabbed her bag and fished out two tins her mum had packed for her and Lily. "My mum makes famous custard tarts. She made a whole batch to share with friends!" She smiled at Glasses and Pretty Boy. "Want some?"

Lily scowled. "Juney, what -"

Juniper nudged her. "Mum said we should be nice if we want to make new friends." She turned back to the two boys, a smile on her lips, offering them one of the tins.

"Sure!" Glasses shrugged, a grin on his face. "I won't say no to dessert." He took the tin from her and plopped back down on the seat. He licked his lips as he pulled off the lid and...

He shouted in surprise when an explosion of custard and feathers flew into his face and in every other direction of the compartment. Lily let out a shriek as custard splattered on her robes, but Juniper simply laughed as it got in her hair.

No one in the compartment escaped the blast. White feathers covered both the Evans sisters, Severus, and the four boys, held in place by a sticky layer of custard.

"I can't believe Dad would do this!" Lily exclaimed. "He said no pranks today! It's all over my robes! "

Juniper laughed more. "Mum did tell you to wait to change, so you didn't get them dirty! Dad warned you too!"

"He pulls enough pranks at home as it is!" Lily complained.

"I think your dad's bloody brilliant!" Pretty Boy called, grey eyes twinkling. "A dad that does stuff like this must be amazing."

"I second that!" Glasses swiped some custard off his nose with a finger and tasted it. "Your mum's a good cook too!" He hummed.

Suddenly, a custard covered feather landed on his glasses. Glasses turned towards Pretty Boy, who was wearing a smirk. Growling, he threw a sticky feather in return, and soon their group of four had devolved into a feather throwing war.

Glasses made the mistake of throwing one at Lily. Lily eyed him with disdain as she picked the feather from her red hair and stood up. "Come on, Sev, Juney," she huffed. She glanced at them both with a firm expression. "Let's go clean up, then find a compartment with _better, more civilized_ company." She cast Glasses and Pretty Boy one last fiery glare.

Glasses had the gull to smirk at her and shrug. "More for us then! Tell your mum thanks for the custard! "

Lily rolled her eyes, tossed her red hair over her shoulder, and stalked out of the compartment. Like a puppy, Severus scrambled after her, but not before he tripped over pretty boy's stuck out foot.

Chuckling, Juniper pursed her lips as she stood, taking more time to gather her things. She was just about to walk out the door when one of the boys called out, "Hey curly, how'd your dad do that?"

Juniper turned around, wide eyed, to see pretty boy tilting his head, a mischievous and perhaps a bit to eager expression on his face.

"Uhm...No idea." She shrugged.

"Well, tell him he's bloody brilliant, and that he has a fan." Something in pretty boy's tone sounded wistful, and his grey eyes had a glint of longing.

Juniper felt a twinge of pity. "Sure thing," she said quietly.

"And do you have more tarts?" Glasses asked, licking some custard off his finger.

Juniper patted her other tin. "Maybe, but I don't know my sister would want me to share anymore. Hope you enjoy the custard you have though!" She then whisked out the chamber door.

As she walked down the car corridor towards the bathroom, custard and sticky feathers in her hair, Juniper smirked. Her dad was bloody brilliant, a veritable prank master. He had pulled pranks of epic proportions on his wife and daughters over the years, with a little help from a secret protege. He was not the only one who was brilliant though. The feathers hadn't been his idea. She had thought them a nice final touch.

* * *

 **Any guesses who those lovely nameless boys were? Thanks so much for reading and please leave a review!**


	3. Let the Legend Begin

**Hi! It's been awhile I know, but finishing up your last semester of college and having to write 50 tedious essays will do that to you. The good news is I've graduated and won't ever have to deal with school again, so just work during the day and hopefully plenty of time to write in the evenings now. Thank you all so much for every favorite, alert, and review that you've left! You are amazing! Please enjoy the new chapter and leave a review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Let the Legend Begin**

 **Two Years Later**

Another hazy summer had faded into the crisp cool of autumn, and with that, the Evans sister were off to their third year at Hogwarts. The train ride had been uneventful for the most part, save for a run in between Lily and James Potter. Juniper shook her head. The cocky quidditch player has set his sights on Lily for some inexplicable reason, perhaps he wanted what he would could never have or liked an impossible challenge? James had asked Lily out no less than 10 times last year. Yet, Lily hated him with a passion, never forgiving him for making fun of Severus during their very first meeting on the train, and she detested his arrogant persona.

Juniper could already imagine Lily complaining about what grevious act he had performed today. She smiled to herself as she crept up the staircase from the kitchen corridor. She paused before she reached the top of the staircase, squatting so she could get a better view of the Entrance Hall. The cavernous stone room echoed with the excited tittering of the first year students, all of them waiting in huddles before the looming oak doors of the Great Hall. Juniper would have to time her entrance carefully. Professor McGonagall would be along any moment to lead new students in for their Sorting. While she was well liked by the teacher, it would still be hard to explain away why a third year was outside the Hall instead of already with her house mates at their table. The woman could smell a lie from a mile away.

The distinct click of the professor's boots announced her arrival. She herded the first years into an orderly line before opening the large doors with a flick of her wand and leading them in. Juniper waited until the last student disappeared from sight, then quick and quiet as a mouse, she slipped inside after them.

She felt that familiar sense of awe as she entered the Great Hall and scurried to her house's table. Hundreds of floating candles filled the long room with a golden light and stars twinkled above in the dark enchanted ceiling. Juniper would always have a fondness for mundane Cokeworth, but coming back to Hogwarts felt like returning home.

Scanning over the inhabitants of the Gryffindor table, Juniper spotted Lily sitting towards the end, across from their two closest friends, Mary MacDonald, a pale, fair haired girl with a sweet temperament but sharp mind, and Marlene McKinnon, an athletic jokster with dark looks and twinkling brown eyes. Smiling, she quickly made her way over to them. Lily frowned when she spotted her sister, green eyes filled with concern. "You didn't manage to find your book?" She asked as she shifted over on the bench to allow Juniper to take a seat beside her.

Juniper sighed and shrugged. "The carriages had already left before I could get back to them. I'll just have to ask Mr. Filch later if it was turned in to him." She heard a snort from across the table as Marlene rolled her dark eyes. "Good luck with that. He's liable to chain you up for just bothering him, unpleasant old sod."

Beside her, Mary shook her head. "Marlene, don't say that! For all his talk of chains, Mr. Filch isn't that bad."

"Yes he is! Don't you remember what he made me do for detention last year!? He-"

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of clinking glass. Professor McGonnagal stood in front of the high table where the staff sat, a scroll in hand. On the stool beside her sat the sorting hat, dirty and patched. Silence filled the hall for a brief instance before the hat sprang to life, opening its mouth to sing an iteration of its song about the four houses and their founders.

After it finished, the students gave a thunderous applause. James Potter and Sirius Black were particularly loud. The girls could hear their shouts and whistles half way down the table. Juniper pressed her lips together to keep from snickering at Lily's disapproving scowl. After the commotion died, McGonnagal opened her parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat, sit on the stool, and be sorted into your house," she instructed the first years. This moment must be nerve wracking for them Juniper thought. It had been for her...

* * *

 _Hogwarts Castle looming above the lake at sunset had been one of the most wondrous sights Juniper had ever seen. No description Severus gave or picture in a book could have done it justice. Juniper had started shaking, from excitement or nerves she didn't know. Lily had gasped, grabbing her hand as she whispered, "That's our school Juney! We're going to live there!"_

 _They'd kept a firm grip on each other all the way across the lake. When they had gotten to shore, Juniper had caught Severus's lingering glance on the twin's interlocked hands, a glint in his eye. Then all the students had been hearded by the giant game keeper, a jolly, bearded man that called himself Hagrid, into the castle's massive entrance hall._

 _A middle aged woman with a tight brown bun and severe frown greeted them, introducing herself as Professor McGonnagal. She reminded Juniper of Petunia. Her sense of wonder dampened at the thought. Her excitement then all but disappeared as the professor informed them of the four houses and their function at Hogwarts. A House would be the student's family, whom they slept with, ate with, lived with. Juniper's green eyes widened as fear gripped her. She tightened her hold on Lily's hand as the professor left them momentarily. Hadn't Severus said they were sorted by personality? Lily and she were so different. They would never end up in the same house. Then she'd be all alone, and she had never had to fend for herself in her whole life..._

 _"I'm going to definitely end up in Slytherin!" Severus told them with a grin. "Where do you think you'll be , Lily?"_

 _"I don't know!" Lily said, breathless with excitement. "It'll be an adventure I guess. Right Juney?"_

 _Juniper jumped, pulled from her stupor. "Uhm, I guess...I..." She wrung her hands, not able to muster more words._

 _"What's wrong?" Lily asked with a frown. Severus tilted his head in curiosity. Juniper looked to the ground._

 _"What if we're -"_

 _The boom of the Great Hall's doors opening cut her off. Professor McGonnagal swept out, a parchment in hand. "It is time. Come, get in a line by last name." Luckily, Juniper remained by her sister's side as they were ushered into the Great Hall. The size of the room, the enchanted ceiling above, and all the eyes on them did little to quell her nerves._

 _An old patched hat was sitting on a stool at the front of the hall. Most of the first years gasped in surprised excitement when it suddenly burst into song, but as it sang of how different the four houses were, Juniper just knew she would be separated from Lily. How could she afford to lose another sister?_

 _After the song ended, the sorting began, each student called forward to sit before the whole hall, the hat on their head. One by one her peers had their fates decided by the hat._

 _"Gryffindor!"_

 _"Ravenclaw!"_

 _"Hufflepuff!"_

 _"Slytherin! " It cried out for each student, until it was her turn to be judged._

 _"Evans, Juniper!" Professor McGonnagal called, her voice echoing throughout the room. Juniper froze, her knuckles turning bone white as she crushed Lily's hand in her own._

 _"Juney!" Lily whispered, pulling her hand away and nudging her shoulder encouragingly. "You have to go!"_

 _" Ms. Evans! " McGonnagal called. A quiet tittering rose among the older students. Juniper couldn't do it. All eyes were on her, she was being mocked, she just..._

 _She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wanted to be like Nimue. Nimue had been mocked, doubted, threatened even, but she had never faltered in following her dreams. She had healed others, she had vowed to be the hope to the broken and courage for the weak. How could Juniper ever aspire to be like her, to be courage for anyone if she had none herself? Her dream and idol fixed in her mind, she opened her eyes and stepped forward. 'I'll be the courage for the weak,' she repeated the words of the ancient sorceress with every step up the stairs to the stool, as she sat down, as she felt the hat placed on her brown curls._

 _"_ _ **Interesting...'**_

 _Juniper jumped at the tiny voice in her head. Who was that?_

 _'_ _ **A jumpy little thing I see, and not much ambition at all. A strong bond to family, but not too many friends... perhaps...'**_

 _'Who are you?' she asked, reminding herself that she had to be courage._

 _ **'Ah, a curious one I see. There is some talent there... '**_

 _The presence ignored her, continuing its mumbling as it sifted through her mind._

 _'I'll be courage for the weak.' Juniper continued her mantra as she shut her eyes tight. She pictured herself, running past all the dangers to reach somone hurt, who needed her help, just like Nimue. She pictured herself and her dad laughing as another one of their plans came to fruition, hoping the positive images would shut the strange presence out of her thoughts._

 _Yet, the it only drew closer. '_ _ **What's this?'**_ _It asked, a little surprised._ _ **'Nimue, eh? Very long time since I've heard her name. Not as famous as Merlin, but she did become something fearsome in her day... Made quite the splash. Was a tricky one to sort I recall, but loved to laugh like you.. Do you want to follow her path?'**_

 _The hat knew Nimue, the real person!? Juniper didn't even realize she was nodding. 'Yes!' She replied firmly. That was one of the only things she was sure about!_

 _'_ **Well then...** _ **"**_ _GRYFFINDOR!"_

* * *

And so a Gryffindor Juniper became. She still didn't understand it. She thought the Sorting Hat had made a mistake at times. Lily had said it had been a full five minutes before the it had declared its choice, something called a hat stall. The hat must have been unsure. Juniper knew Lily had been born to be in Gryffindor, with her fiery charm, but Juniper didn't have her spark.

Admist her day dreams, the sorting ceremony must have finished and Professor Dumbledore had said his welcoming words, because her nose was suddenly filled with the savory scent of a mouth watering feast.

"Finally! I'm starving!" Marlene grabbed a drumstick and tore into it.

"You're such a carnivore Marlene," Lily sighed and shook her head, though her lips were curved up in a smile.

"I gotta bulk up for quidditch tryouts," Marlene retorted through a mouthful of chicken, all the while filling up her plate with more meat. Marlene had always been the most athletic of their group. She'd been a natural on a broom their first year and had made the quittich team the next year as a keeper.

Mary smiled as she reached for some fruit. "I'm glad chess doesn't require that much protein, I'd get sick," she laughed.

"You all just don't understand how rigorous the practices are," Marlene declared, "Unless, one of you would like to join me at tryouts this year."

" No! " Lily and Mary exclaimed in unison, and Juniper grinned as she shook her head. As skilled as Marlene was at flying on a broom, the rest of them were horrible. Both Mary and Lily hated heights, and while Juniper didn't mind it, she had no sense of balance.

"Okay, then what clubs are you all doing this year?" Marlene asked.

"Wizards Chess obviously." Mary glanced over at Juniper. "You going to again, June?"

"Of course," Juniper agreed, picking up a roll. "Its a fun game to play, and you don't have to talk much," she said as studied the bread with a slight frown. Had she done something wrong?

"Lily? You want to join this year?" Mary's blue eyes turned to Juniper's twin.

"No," the read head denied. "It's a bit too quiet for me. I haven't really found my niche yet like you all have. I've thought about signing up to tutor younger students-"

Lily squeaked in surprise as the roll on her plate started twitching. In fact walk, the rolls in the Great Hall started to move. Juniper smirked before she dropped her roll, feigning surprise as it twisted and contorted into what vaguely looked like a dragon of some sort. A commotion rose across the Great Hall as the sentient bread proceeded to jump around the tables and onto the floor. Some students were horrified, but just as many were laughing. Marlene scooped up one the bread dragons and studied it with her brown eyes. "It looks like the prankster strikes again." She grinned.

Mary smiled too, though Lily had a scowl on her face. "This is so disruptive and their stunts keep getting worse! I can't believe they haven't been caught yet!"

"Lils," Juniper giggled, grabbing her twin's arm. "It's not that bad. And look." She showed her sister one of the little dragons in the palm of their hand. "They're cute." Lily bit her lip as she contemplated it for a moment, but then a little smile curled the corner of her mouth. "I guess they are," she took the bread from Juniper.

"Oi Evans!" Lily's head shot up, her hand clenching and crushing the little bread dragon. Juniper grimaced. James Potter stood behind the twins, munching on one of the dragon rolls. Both girls turned towards him, but Juniper knew whom he was addressing. Whenever anyone called out their last name, it was Lily. Juniper kept so to herself, she thought that a lot people forgot she existed sometimes, not that she minded. She'd always _preferred_ Lily be in the spotlight.

"What do you want Potter?" Lily growled, her face getting flushed and green eyes flashing.

James gave her his trademark flashy grin. "I just wanted to see how my dear friend was doing after the long summer break. These little dragons are pretty cool, aren't they?"

"I'm not your _friend_ Potter, and I'm sure you and you're friends were the one who created this mess!" Lily snapped. Juniper rested a hand on her sister's shoulder, trying to steady her temper. She didn't want Lily getting worked up soon into the year.

James scoffed. "I wish. This is a stroke of genius, but it's that other prankster bloke that always tries to out do us. I'll have to raise my game this year." His hazel eyes had mischievous glint to them.

"You and that git Black probably just make that other prankster up as a flimsy excuse to cause more trouble. That's all you ever do," Lily spat before turning away from him in a huff.

Though he did a good job hiding it, Juniper saw the slight sag in Jame's shoulders and the tensing of his jaw.

"You're entitled to your opinion I guess," he sighed. He shrugged and then looked to Marlene. "Hey, McKinnon, see you at quittich tryouts in November?" James Potter had been the only second year besides Marlene to make the team last year.

"You can count on it Potter. Can't let you take all the glory!" She tossed him a roll like it was quaffle.

James's smile relaxed as he caught it. "Excellent! Well, I best be off. Can't let my mates get into mischief without me!" He winked at Lily before walking away.

"He is the worst!" Lily exclaimed through clenched teeth.

Juniper frowned. "He has an ego, but do you have to be so harsh Lils?"

"He won't leave me alone, and he mistreated Sev! He still does! So, no I can't!" Lily banged the table with her fist, making the other three girls stop to look at her. Lily turned red, her anger turning quickly into embarrassment. "Sorry guys! I just," she worried her lip and rose from her table. " I think I'm going to go see Sev. I didn't get to talk to him on the train. Juney, you wanna come?"

"No thanks Lils, I have to find my book. I'll see you in the common room?" Juniper looked at her hands, not wanting to see Lily's disappointment. The friendship between her and Severus Snape had soured over the years. They still called each other friends, for Lily's sake, and talked about class work, but Juniper had never really gotten over the hand he had had in ruining her and Lily's relationship with Petunia. Even after two years, their sister never wanted to talk to them when they were home on breaks.

"Okay," Lily sighed. She waved to the other two girls and scurried off.

The feast was already winding down anyway, so Juniper, Mary, and Marlene gathered their things and made their way up to the common room with the rest of the students to settle in.

After she had unpacked all her possessions and arranged them in her personal area of the new dorm, Juniper went back down to the common room to carry out her first night tradition. She curled up in the comfortable window seat that she had claimed as a regular study spot over her last two years at Hogwarts with a thick blanket and _Lady of the Lake._ That story had been her first real connection to magic and Nimue still was her hero. She felt it paid tribute to the ancient witch to read her story before the school year began. It reminded Juniper of who she wanted to be and set her in the right mindset for classes.

She got through several chapters before the room began to grow crowded with students returning from their dorms to socialize. Juniper sighed as the noise level rose, though she didn't let it take her out of the story, not until she heard her surname.

"Evans is impossible! Sometimes I wonder why I bother with her!" She glanced over to a nearby hearth to see James Potter sprawled on a couch in front of it, his arm draped dramatically over his eyes. His three best friends surrounded him, a group that had become known to the rest of Gryffindor and much of the school as the Marauders. Lily had raved at how pompous the title was, as she did about most things related to James Potter.

"Why do you then?" Remus Lupin, the quiet one the group, commented as he sat beside James, opening a book. Juniper liked Remus. They had worked together on assignments a few times. The lanky, brown haired boy always seemed reasonable, and even Lily didn't mind him.

"Mate, it's about the chase," Sirius Black said, wearing a rougish smirk as he leaned on the stone banister of the fire place. "The more impossible they are to get, the more attractive they are." He would know. With his refined features, long black hair, and flint gray eyes, Sirius Black already set many female student's hearts a flutter and had even broken a few.

"Why are we even talking about girls," little Peter Pettigrew complained as he plopped down into a plush red arm chair. With his small stature, mousy hair, and watery eyes, he didn't look like he quite belonged with the other boys. Like Juniper herself, he really didn't even seem to belong in Gryffindor. With his follower mindset and meek demeanor, she was just as baffled about his placement in this house of mavericks as she was about her own. "We need to start planning our next prank. That other bloke has already got the jump on us, and we can't let him out stage us like last year!"

Juniper smiled. Yes, the sparkler cupcakes at the last feast of their second year had been rather magnificent. Though they hadn't exploded or shifted shape as intended.

"And that's another thing!" James threw his hands up before he ruffled his messy hair in frustration. "How can Evan's think _I_ came up with sparkly cupcakes? She only ever sees the worst in me, even when I'm trying to show her the best."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Maybe if you stopped trying so hard to show her how amazing you are, she'd respond more. "

"But I am amazing!"

"Guys!" Peter whined, crossing his arms. "Come on, we have to come up with something."

"Okay Pete," Sirius laughed. "I actually was thinking on the train ride here, and I came up with a few smashing ideas."

"Do tell," James said, an enthused smile indicating he'd gotten over his pining, for now at least. Juniper leaned slightly forward too to hear the new ideas. The prank wars continued, so she needed to gather intel. Four against one had never been easy, it had always been a high stakes game, even in the beginning...

* * *

 _It had happened a few weeks after the start of classes. Lily and Juniper were making their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast in the company of two other Gryffindor first years, Mary and Marlene._

 _They'd fallen into something of a friendship Marlene after she and Lily had gotten a bit too competitive at flying lessons. Both had an affinity for being the best, so when asked to simply hover, they both had gone rather high on their brooms, far higher than Madam Hooch had allowed. It was only when they were hovering two stories above the ground with Madam Hooch yelling rather loudly at them that Lily realized how high she'd gone. She'd tried to come down, only to realize she had no real idea how. Other people had started laughing at her, only for it grow worse when James Potter, Glasses boy, flew up with ease and dramatically offered to rescue her in return for more tarts. Lily had turned beet red and shoved him away, almost falling off her broom in the process. Marlene had saved the day by steadying Lily and helping her fly back to the ground with an apologetic smile. Lily had decided that day that she'd avoid flying at all costs, but Marlene was a keeper._

 _Surprisingly, it was Juniper whom had first befriended Mary, a very significant first for her. They'd been in Defense Against the Dark Arts, learning the very basics of dueling and practicing by producing sparks from their wands, and Juniper had been doing rather horribly. Lily, already excelling, had been paired off with more skilled students. Juniper had been left in humiliation to practice with the professor. And yet, Mary, steady and calm, had come over to her, helping her with form and aim, and by the end of class, she'd done well enough to not need remedial lessons at least. Juniper made sure Mary was never far after that._

 _The four girls walked into the Entrance Hall, only to see a large mass to students crowded in front of the open door way to the Great Hall, eyes wide and mouths open. Curious, Marlene rushed ahead of the other three to discover what the commotion was about. "Merlin's beard!'_

 _"What?" Lily demanded, but she froze herself when she got a view through the doorway._

 _"What is it Lils?" Juniper came up behind her sister to see, and her eyes widened._

 _All four house tables and their benches hovered high above the ground with breakfast, which was set to atomically transport to the tables at certain time, falling off their surfaces in a hail of breakfast pastries and a steady drizzle of pumpkin juice. Hagrid was keeping all the students out while poor Professor Flitwick worked his wand to bring the tables back down._

 _The student body's opinion of the scene was very polarized. Half of the students scowled, dark circles under their eyes and a scowl on their faces, Lily among them. "Even here," she groaned, " We can't escape the pranks? Classes are supposed to start in an hour! Whoever did this... "_

 _The other half though were smirking, chuckling, and in some cases, howling in laughter. James Potter and Sirius Black the loudest of them all. Lily turned a narrowed gaze on them, her arms crossed. "I bet with the way they're carrying on, that it was those gits Potter and Black that did this. I knew they were trouble makers from that day on the train."_

 _Juniper sighed. James Potter had become the object of Lily's wrath the last few weeks. "Lils, it's a rather harmless prank, and you don't know. You can't assume-"_

 _"Who did this?" Professor McGonnagal's stern voice carried out over the room. She stood in the center of the crowd, a livid caretaker Filch beside her._

 _Proudly, James Potter, Sirius Black, and a smaller boy with mousey hair raised their hands high._

 _"I'll have you little brats hanging by your toes in chains," Filch sneered. Professor McGonngal sushed him but did not waste any time metering out detention. The boys accepted the punishment with pride, basking as some of their fellow students applauded them and hollered, Marlene among them._

 _"Legendary pranksters already!" She clapped loudly._

 _Lily scowled. "More like infamous."_

 _"They're first years like us!" Marlene exclaimed. "If this is what they're starting with, no one will ever be able to overtake them."_

 _Juniper raised a brow. "Really? You don't think anyone can?"_

 _"Flotating tables is pretty dramatic," Mary chimed in. "A prank would have to be pretty ostentatious to out do it."_

 _"Oh heavens, I hope not!" Lily exclaimed._

 _Juniper pursed her lips. Well, she had a lot of work to do then. She couldn't let her dad down. That evening she went to the library and gathered all the books about potions, charms, and the lay out of school that she could get her hands on. Then a few weeks later..._

 _"Who did this?" The assistant headmistress asked in The Great Hall at supper, in the exact same voice as before, Filch beside her with not quite as large a scowl, but this time, both their faces were turning from Gryffindor scarlet to emerald Slytherin green._

 _Eyes turned to the Marauders, as the group of boys had become known, but they stood there shrugging, just as confused as everyone else as their faces turned Hefflepuff gold. Three quarters of the school has been afflicted with the school spirited facade and walked around with colorful faces for a full two days before the effect faded. Lily did not like it at all but Juniper thought the green complimented both of their eyes well. Marlene had laughed later in the common room when the rumors spread that the prankster had not been caught. "Looks like someone took took the Marauders' stunt as a challenge."_

 _"Guess we were wrong," Mary shrugged as her face turned Ravenclaw blue. "There might prove to be a more legendary prankster after all."_

 _"I hope not," Lily groaned as she gave facepalmed her own colorful forehead._

 _All the while Juniper had her nose stuck in a book, but as her face turned back to Gryffindor red, the corner of her mouth raised in a smirl. Let the legend begin then._

* * *

Back and forth it had gone for two years now between the marauders and the mystery prankster, each prank more complicated than the last, and both had become legends in their own right. Juniper thought the mystery pranks were better though. Her dad had certainly been proud.

"Juney! You found your book." Juniper glanced up to see Lily walking towards, several textbooks in her arms.

She moved over on the window bench so Lily sit beside her and gave an innocent smile. "Turns out the prefect got a hold of it, so I didn't have to go see Mr. Filch."

"Good," Lily huffed as she curled her legs under her and took part of her sister's blanket to drape over herself. Even Lily, ever the daring darling of the school faculty, had a distaste for Filch. Juniper did pity him for being a Squib. It must feel tortuous to live in such a wondrous world of magic without having any yourself, but it was very hard to have any compassion for a man with such a disdain for students.

Juniper raised a brow as Lily sorted through her text books. "Already hitting the books?"

Lily rolled her eyes and smirked. "How else do will I know everything the first day of classes? Gotta keep up appearances."

Juniper chuckled. Even brave, good hearted Lily harbored her own vanities, though not over her looks like many girls their age. She puffed up like a peacock over her brains. Her ego could almost match James Potter's at times, not that Juniper would never dare offend her sister with such a notion.

"Want to study with me?" Lily offered.

Juniper shrugged. "We have potions first thing tomorrow, so I should be fine."

"That's right." Lily grabbed her potions book and flipped it open. "Don't know why I asked." She shook her head and bit back a smile. Both girls then turned to their books, Lily her academic texts and Juniper her novel, and read in peaceful silence for a few hours. When Juniper finished up the last chapter of her favorite sorceress's tale, she closed the book with a snap and turned to see her sister still engrossed in her own reading, now reviewing their textbook for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Juniper blanched. She did not look forward to that class, and was thankful it wasn't until later in the week.

"I'm headed up, Lils," she said as she nudged her sister's shoulder. Lily glanced up, a tiny smile on her face as she nodded.

"Alright." She gave her twin a brief side hug. "See you bright and early in the morning."

Juniper returned the embrace before slipping out from under the blanket, and left Lily to her pursuit of knowledge. She climbed the stone staircase that led to the girls rooms, smiling on nostalgia as she passed the first and second year dorms. She stopped on the landing with a single wooden door with the sign reading "third year" in golden font and slowly turned the door latch, mindful that some of the other girls might already be asleep. Sure enough, all of her peers were already curled up and snoring under their covers including Mary and Marlene. She would have to make more time for them tomorrow, Juniper thought, as she crept over to her own bed.

Carefully, she sat down at her small wooden desk and opened one of the drawers, removing her potions kit. Lily, Marlene, and Mary had all chipped in to get it for her last Christmas; a smooth mahogany case held flasks and vials, a copper cauldron, and all the instruments one would need for brewing potions in one compartment, and in the other, a wide array of ingredients in little sacks, boxes, and viles of their own. She set it on the desk and handled it with care, making sure all the tools were clean and taking inventory of the ingredients.

She rubbed her chin. She'd had enough for the summer and her first day activities, but she would definitely need to replenish some of the less common ingredients in preparation for her future plans. She closed the case and stored it away, then changed and went to bed with a smile on her face, visions of healers and pranks and potions dancing in her head.

Next morning, all the girls rose, some rather reluctantly, and fell back into the regular routine of school. Get dressed, down to breakfast, back up to the dorms to gather school supplies, then off to morning classes. To Juniper's delight, she had Potions first.

Underground, the dungeons felt colder than the rest rest of the castle and the air carried a musty scent. Yet when Juniper entered the potions classroom, lit by the dim green light of sun filtered through the lake and gold lanterns, she truly felt she'd arrived home, even more so then when she'd entered the Great Hall.

"If it's not my favorite pair of Gryffindor flowers!" A jovial voice carried across the room as Juniper and Lily filtered in with other third year students. Professor Slughorn strided over to the twins, his huge girth not at all impeding his gate. He extended his arms to arm them, a smile under his grey mustache and a twinkle in his greenish eyes.

"Hello Professor Slughorn!" Lily greeted brightly, a brilliant grin on her face as she accepted his embrace. She had always had a spell over the teachers. So pretty and charming and an excellent student, she could never do wrong.

"Lily my dear, how was your summer break?" He asked.

"It was wonderful to see my parents, though I did miss the challenge of the your classes," Lily replied.

The professor's chest puffed even though he waved her off. "Ever charming!" He chuckled. "It is very good to have you back, my dear." He gave Lily another smile as she wen to settle at one of front tables before his gooseberry eyes tracked back to Juniper. "Ah, and my shining star, Juniper." He extended an arm to her, and she accepted the hug more tentatively, smiling because she was happy to see her mentor again, though blushing at the public display of doting. She had never taken praise in front of others with the grace Lily did in. "I hope you enjoyed your break as much as your sister."

"Thank you, Professor, I did," she replied quietly.

Slughorn leaned in a conspiratorial fashion. "And did you put those extra ingredients I gave you to good use?" He winked.

Juniper's lips turned up in a smile and her discomfort slid away in her excitement to tell her professor about her progress. "Well, I managed to make the Draught of Peace several times in the standard fashion, though I found some methods to expedite the brewing process, and I experimented with some other methods and ingredient changes that might change potency."

"Very good, my girl!" Slughorn chuckled as her patted her shoulder. "Perhaps after classes are done for the day, you can come to my office and we'll discuss them in more detail, hm?"

"Of course," Juniper nodded eagerly.

"Very good." With one last squeeze of the shoulder, he set his sights on another student he needed to greet. "Ah, Frank Longbottom! How's your father, my boy?

Juniper sighed. Professor Slughorn had become one of her favorite teachers over the years. When he'd seen potential in her, he'd invested time to personally mentor her. He did care for students, though he had his quirks. He _invested_ in students...

* * *

 _Within the first few weeks of classes, Juniper had come to find she likes Potions the best. She enjoyed most of her classes well enough, not with passionate fervor of Lily, reading ten chapters ahead, raising her hand to answer every question, and vying to be the first student to demonstrate skills to other students. She soaked up her professor's information, quietly mulling it over and piecing it all together in her own mind. She had been able to keep up with Lily for the most part, just behind her sister, just as she always had been. The only time when Lily had left her in the dust was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Juniper cringed. She just couldn't grip the combative nature that half of the subject entailed. The calm and meticulous manner of Potions suited her far better. Sitting in the dim and quiet dungeon, measuring ingredients and stirring them into a brew, made her feel like she already was Nimue, sitting in her cave, brewing healing concoctions for the village folk. She felt kinship with her ancient heroine, like somehow, across years and centuries, Nimue sensed a young witch wanted to be like her and she was guiding her hand. Juniper knew in reality it wasn't true, though it was fun to imagine._

 _They were sitting in potions dungeon, lit only by dim lanterns despite the sunny day outside,. room, listening as Professor Slughorn, the potions master, explained the procedure for their first practical exam._

 _"Today, for your first practical exam, you will brewing just a basic potion, Cure for Boils. It's rather simple, nothing to worry about. Now, can anyone tell me what the ingredients are?"_

 _His eyes automatically flicked to the table where Juniper sat with Lily, Severus, and their new friend Mary, though it was not her that he smiled at. "Ah, Lily, Severus," he chuckled at both their raised hands, something that has become a common occurrence in the weeks since the class had begun. "Why don't each of you name some for me."_

 _Severus and Lily, sitting next to each, shared a secret grin before Severus started. "Snake fangs, pungous onions, dried nettles." Severus had told the twins before they ever entered Hogwarts that he'd had a fascination with potions. The f hobby helped him feel a sense of control in a chaotic and unpleasant home life where his father drank and his parents regularly had fights that could shake the whole house._

 _Lily finished the list off. She had taken naturally to the subject too, just as she had every other one, bar flying. Juniper smiled, proud of her brilliant sister. "Flobberworm mucus, shake spines, and ginger root."_

 _"Very good," Slughorn praised. "Though there is one more ingredient. Lily?"_

 _A crease marred Lily's brow in confusion. "I think it's, well..."_

 _"Maybe, Miss Know It All raised her hand to fast," James Potter called from his seat, a lopsided grin on his face. A few students giggled while Lily shot a murderous look at the boy._

 _"Now James, class," Professor Slughorn berated calmly. "We can't be expected to know everything. Now can anyone else tell me the last ingredient, besides Lily or Severus. "_

 _Lily stared at the table in shame. Juniper couldn't allow that. She grabbed Lily's hand to get her attention and then mouthed, 'horned slug.'_

 _Lily perked up, her eyes lighting again as she called, "It's horned slug!" Professor turned back to her, brow raised in amused suprise. "Very good Lily! It appears some of us do know everything."_

 _As he finished explaining where the supplies and extra tools to brew the potion were, Lily glanced back at Juniper and squeezed her fingers, giving her a bright smile in thanks. Juniper didn't need it though. That's just what sisters did for each other. Severus looked at their exchange with pursed lips._

 _Professor Slughorn ended his introduction by reminding everyone of the time limit. "I will be walking around keeping an eye on your progress, and assess the quality of your potions at the end of two hours." He picked an hour glass that he kept on his desk and turned it over. "You may begin. "_

 _Both Severus and Lily shot out of their seats, scrambling into action with a determined look on their faces. No doubt they had made a bet about which one of them would finish first in the class. Juniper sighed, she could never do that. Potions took care and a steady touch, Nimue had told someone in her story. Juniper intended to follow that approach. She calmly went to get her ingredients form the supply cabinet after the herd of other frantic students had dissipated. She then returned to her table, organized her work space, and then got lost in her own world._

 _She started by following the directions, crushing six snake fangs with her morter and pestle and adding it to her brew, but when she began to cut the onions, she found that she could not get them as fine as she would like. Other students seemed to be struggling too, maybe if she used something else... She weighted them in her hand. They are rather brittle, perhaps she could grind them with the pestle. She deviated in other ways too. Stirring this way instead of that, adding another horned slug to make the heating process to faster. Turning up the heat just a little higher so ingredients dissolved better. She smiled as swished her wand over her cauldron in a finishing flourish, the bubbling concoction a pleasing deep blue, exactly a the shade in the book. Plopping down into her chair, she let her head loll and closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath of satisfaction. When she opened them, she looked around the room, curious to see who else had finished._

 _She glanced over at Lily and Severus and saw both of the their cauldrons still brewing over flames. Everyone else was either where they were or behind. Frowning, she turned towards the hour glass, and sand was still trickling to the bottom, counting down the first hour._

 _"What is this?" Professor Slughorn strolled over to their table, no doubt to check on his star pupils. His brow furrowed when he saw Juniper sitting still, her cauldron off the fire. He looked into her pot and his eyes widened. He took out a small vile and scooped some of her potion into it. He looked closely, shook it, smelled it, it tasted. He then turned towards Juniper, his eyes studying intently as he rubbed his chin. Juniper squirmed and ducked her head, uncomfortable under scrutiny. "That was very quick my girl. What is your name?"_

 _"Juniper, sir," she mumbled, staring at the ground._

 _"Juniper what? You'll have to remind an old man of your name."_

 _" Evans."_

 _" Your sister, Lily?" He asked, sounding very interested now._

 _"Yes sir." Juniper glanced up as her sister nodded, then back to her teacher._

 _"Ah, yes, I see you both have the same eyes." Slughorn snapped his fingers. "Well," he looked to Juniper. "I did not realize we had two talented witches in the family. You hid yourself very well these past weeks, my dear girl," he shook a finger as if to lightly scold her. "You test results are very impressive. Definitely one to watch."_

* * *

That day Juniper had been inducted into his group of favorites. "The Slug Club" they were named. Juniper and Lily had learned that he had quite the knack for picking out students with potential and prominent connections. He would invite them to little functions every month and offer them extra attention, guidance, mentoring, connect them with old friends and students in prominent places, investing time into them in the hopes that it would pay off when the students graduated. The favoritism may not be fair, but Juniper had developed a genuine bond with the professor, spending quite a few afternoons in his office after class learning about more advanced potions, particularly healing ones. He let her have access to his all the potions stores too, which was quite helpful, in more ways than one.

Class that day comprised mostly of an overview of their curriculum for the year, not anything too interesting. The only thing that had particularly bothered Juniper during the period was the way Severus acted. With Mary and Marlene already seated across from them, Juniper naturally headed to sit the last remaining chair next to her sister, but so had Severus. They both had paused when reaching for seat, then Severus had crossed his arms and raised a brow at Juniper, as if he expected her to step aside.

Juniper hated conflict, and most of the time, did what she could to avoid it, but a few matters she would not budge on, her sister being one of them. They'd always been together, far longer than Severus had known them, and sisters stuck together, always. Petunia may have forgotten that promise, but neither but Juniper nor Lily ever would. Severus only left them alone when Lily gently promised that they would catch up with him during the break between classes. He'd alternated between gazing forlorn at Lily and glaring daggers Juniper for the rest of the period. He could be friends with Lily, Juniper couldn't care less, but what gave him the idea that Lily would ever choose him over her own sister, her twin at that?

When Professor Slughorn dismissed the class, Juniper was not looking forward to having to exchange pleasantries with Severus, but luck was on her side it seemed. "Juniper, I would like you to stay behind for a moment," their teacher called as students gathered up their books and filtered out of the classroom. If any other professor said that to her, Juniper would have gotten nervous, but never with the potions master. She waved to her sister and friends with the promise to see join them later, and then approached the professor's desk, much more relaxed now that the most people had left the room.

"Thank you for staying my girl," Professor Slughorn smiled at her as he tidied up the surface of his desk. "I will only keep you a minute. I needed to ask a favor of you." He clasped his hands as took a seat behind his desk.

"Yes Sir?" Juniper tilted her head.

"As a teacher, I am dedicated to my students' success, particularly those in whom I see the greatest potential. I have one student, a young man from a whole family of very talented and respected wizards and witches, whom I very much want to succeed, but he did not very well in my class last year. I did not to deter him by holding him back, but I could only pass him on the condition that he have some additional...guidance this year, and perhaps more importantly, someone to hold him accountable to studying the material."

Juniper frowned in confusion. "You want me to tutor, Sir?"

"Yes, in a way. Study with him, make sure he does his work. He is talented but needs a study partner to keep him on track. I know it sounds like a tedious task, but I feel a peer from his house taking the same class as him would be more effective than an old man trying to lecture him." The professor chuckled. "And you are one of my most talented students by far, so I thought you might be best suited for the task. Perhaps your passion for the subject will run off on him. "

Juniper had never taught before. She liked young children, but working with a student her age that wasn't her friend? She wrung her hands. "Sir, Lily actually said she wanted to start tutoring this year. I -I think she might be a better fit."

Professor Slughorn nodded and then sighed. "Your sister is very talented, and I'm sure there will be many students that can benefit from her help. However, I talked to Professor McGonnagal, and from what she has told me, I believe a gentler personality may be required. So would be willing to help my girl?"

Juniper pursed her lips for a moment. She wanted to be healer, to help people, just like Nimue did, so shouldn't she start practicing that now? And how bad could it be? She would only be teaching one student, easy enough. "I suppose I can, sir." She nodded.

"Excellent!" Professor Slughorn grounded as he rubbed his hands together. "I will inform Mr. Black then to meet you in the library, say, four tomorrow afternoon."

"Black?"

"Yes my girl. Sirius, very smart boy, his parents were some of my best students, but he's a bit head strong and lazy. I'm sure you can put him on the correct path though."

She had to tutor Sirius Black? Scratch that, it wouldn't be easy at all.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Please leave a review if you did. Happy Holidays, whatever you may be celebrating this season, and if you want to see more content for the story before the next update, check out my tumblr, _darkwolf76_. Thank you so much for reading!**


	4. Truce

**Hi guys! Been a while. I've just had a lot of life changes. I won't bore you with all that though. Thank you so much to all of you for following, favoriting, and especially for leaving reviews. You all rock! Your feedback is so valuable, so it would be greatly appreciated if you would take some time after reading to leave a review. Questions, opinions, and feedback are all welcome! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Truce**

Sirius scowled at his potions book. Bloody Potions class, he'd always hated it, and he didn't feel any better about the fact that he had been assigned a "tutor", (more like a baby-sitter) to help him with his course work this year. The teacher himself wasn't bad. Slughorn actually liked him, though he knew that was probably more due to his last name than anything else. Sirius gritted his teeth in bitterness.

How many wizards envied him? Wanted to be a member of his wealthy pureblood family? Well, he would gladly trade places. He had never worn his family name well. Ever when he was little, his parents had criticized him, with his father cold and distant and his mother constantly nagging. He could never be the perfect son Regulus was. Not that he wanted to be. His family was a group of stuck up bigots; he was glad to be different.

"Come on Sirius; it won't be that bad," Remus said, pulling the other boy from his brooding. Sirius glared at Remus as he went about filling up his plate.

The four Marauders had gathered in the Great Hall during their lunch hour between classes.

Sirius snorted. "That's easy for you to say when Evans has never had a cross word to say about you."

Remus simply raised an eyebrow, an unamused expression on his face. "Unlike you, I keep out of trouble most of the time, and even when I do get involved, I'm smart enough to not announce it to the whole school."

"But that's the whole point!" Peter grinned. "What good is pulling off a prank if you don't take the credit?"

Remus rolled his eyes, but Sirius smiled at their friend. "You're right, Pete, though the planning is half the fun."

"I'd say putting it into action is the better half," James barked. All the boys broke into a fit of laughter, and Sirius momentarily forgot his displeasure. But of course it didn't last long, because with all things related to Evans, James had to inject himself into the situation.

"You know, I could go in your place." James grinned, waggling his brows in suggestion. "Or go along with you to distract Evans."

Sirius shook his head. "Sorry mate, not this time. I can't have you drive her away if I want to graduate with you lot."

"I could always hide, pull a prank on her from the shadows," James suggested dramatically, moving his robe up to his face like he was a vampire.

Remus chuckled. "Because that's the way to win over a girl like Lily Evans."

Sirius groaned, running his hand over his face. "Slughorn must be punishing me for slacking last year. He knows Evans hates me, yet out of all of his star pupils that could mind me, he had to choose her." He looked at Remus. "You could have done it."

Remus shook his head. "Potions is one of my weaker classes, and I'm your friend. He knew I would go easy on you. This is more about making sure you actually do the work than you not understanding."

"Yeah," Sirius grumbled. He's given Evans free rein as my slave driver."

"I'll switch with you!" James persisted.

"No!" Sirius snapped.

Peter snickered.

* * *

Juniper set her notes out on the library table, preparing for her first session.

She had surprised her sister and their friends the previous evening when she told them that she would be tutoring a fellow student. "Really?" Lily had asked, her eyes wide in surprise. "That's a sudden change of heart Juney."

Marlene had laughed, giving Juniper a firm clap on the shoulder. "I think it's a big step for you June! Meeting new people yourself, that's great!"

Mary had titlted her head in interest. "Did you sign up for the tutoring program? How many students do you have?"

Juniper had cringed, shifting uncomfortably as she stared at the ground. "I didn't actually. Professor Slughorn asked me to help out one student specifically."

"Oh." Lily had frowned. "That's unusual. Who?"

Juniper had hesitated, sure her sister would get worked up if she told her. But Lily would grow suspicious if she said nothing and would probably get it out of her eventually. They were twins after all. Better to get it over with.

"Sirius Black."

"Black!?" Lily had squawked, her face screwing up like she'd eaten a lemon. Marlene had cackled in amusement.

"I can't let him do that to you." Lily had shook her head, getting up from the sofa she'd been sharing with her sister, a hard look in her eye. "I'll go tell Black to leave you alone or-"

A small bit of annoyance had pricked at Juniper. She often left Lily to take charge of things; she preferred it. But there were a few areas of her life that Juniper preferred to keep to herself. Her potions and pranks, very often intertwined, she protected fiercely, and she begrudged anyone who interfered, even her sister. "Lily, it'll be fine. Professor Slughorn thinks I can do it, and I trust his judgement."

"But it's _Sirius Black!"_

Marlene had been her saving grace, gripping Lily's shoulder. "Black isn't the worst of them. It could have been James." She had smirked as Lily bristled. "Admit it, it could have been worse."

"I suppose."

"That's right. Anyway," she'd winked at Juniper. "It's about time little June left your nest a bit and spread her wings friend wise."

"She isn't going to be his _friend!"_

Juniper shook her head before she finished reviewing her potions notes and the homework. Checking all the points and problems she'd go over in the tutoring session, she shuffled the papers about on the table and then looked at her handiwork with satisfaction.

The Hogwarts library had a peaceful atmosphere that afternoon, as it often did. Juniper basked in the quiet. Besides the potions dungeon, she liked the library best of all the places in Hogwarts. It was a labyrinth of oak shelves holding tens of thousands of books- a wonderland of hidden stories- but also cozy, containing plenty of nooks with plush arm chairs to hide away in, flooded with natural light from the many large windows.

Juniper had set up at table near the entrance so her pupil could find her easily, but when she saw he hadn't arrived, she pulled out yet another biography of Nimue that she had checked out. Lily said she had become borderline obsessive over the woman, but once Juniper had found out Nimue really existed, she had become determined to get to know the Lady of the Lake, even if she had died many centuries before. How else could Juniper follow in the great witch's path?

She was pulled from her reading when the librarian, Madam Duke, a silver haired matron, hushed someone for a rather loud and frustrated sigh.

* * *

Sirius Black glared at the librarian in protest as she berated him. It wasn't his fault stuck up Lily Evans couldn't arrive in time for his lesson. He scanned the visible tables with narrowed eyes, seething when he didn't see the haughty red head. She probably decided to come late or make him hunt for her as his punishment for being a "troublemaker". Well the joke was on her, because he wouldn't wander the library looking for her. He trudged over to a table tucked in a corner and plopped himself down. She would have to come to him if she didn't want to let down the professor and stain her teacher's pet reputation. After pouting for a few minutes, he grew bored and dug out some paper and a quill to brainstorm. He needed to do some planning if the Marauders were going to out do their rival's bread dragons.

"Excuse me?"

Sirius almost didn't hear, it was so quiet. He looked up when he heard a pointed cough and saw a tiny girl with bushy brown curls and Gryffindor robes standing behind him. Thinking it was some first year wanting help, he huffed. "Yeah?"

"I have everything set up a couple tables over to go over our potions lesson." He glanced over his shoulder and furrowed his brown at her expectant expression.

"What?"

"All my notes." She pointed to a table close to the entrance. She bit her lip.

"And?"

The girl tilted her head in confusion. "Didn't Professor Slughorn tell you who would be tutoring you?"

"He said Evans would be," Sirius retorted, starting to get annoyed.

"Well, I'm sitting over there?" She shuffled her shoe against the carpeted floor. "Shouldn't we get started?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Lily Evans has hair a lot redder than yours and is far more shrill."

The girl narrowed deep green eyes at him. "Lily isn't the one teaching you, and my sister isn't shrill."

"Sister?" His eyes widened when he remembered. There was indeed a second Evans in his house and year. One that followed Lily so close, she was like her shadow. "He meant you." He paused to remember her name. It was J- something. "Jane?"

The girl pursed her lips. "Uhm, no. It's Juniper. Now can we please..." She trailed off and awkwardly gestured to her table.

A wave of relief washed over Sirius. He smiled as he stood up from his chair and even laughed to himself. He didn't have to deal with Lily Evans, just her shadow. "Okay." He grinned as he followed her to her table. This would be so much easier. No work, easy pass.

* * *

Juniper was now beginning to understand her sister's frustration towards the Marauders, or at least Sirius Black anyway. For an hour, she had tried to go over her notes, get him to understand and do the assignment, but he just wouldn't take her seriously (the irony was not lost on her).

"Dinner will be soon," she sighed in defeat. "Why don't you copy the main points from my notes and maybe we can go over our homework tomorrow."

"Or you could just give me a copy?" Sirius leaned back in his chair, giving her a winning smile.

Juniper pursed her lips. Was he being real? For a boy who had a good sense of humor, this wasn't very funny. "I-I don't think that's appropriate." She tried to sit taller in her chair even though he still looked down on her in comparison.

"Ah, come on," Sirius said with a pout. Juniper recalled the moniker she had given him when she had first seen him on the train, _pretty boy,_ and that only had proven more true in the past two years _._ Dark grey eyes blinked at her, pleading, while a fine mouth curved into a frown into that could win acting awards from some of the shows her mum liked to watch.

But when it came to her potions work, Juniper would not be moved.

"You'll remember the material better if you write it down," she mumbled as she opened up another potions text book, one more advanced and focused on healing that Professor Slughorn had recommended. She didn't even spare him another glance. "Just copy my notes and then we'll be done." She heard a derisive scoff but didn't bother to look up at the cranky boy, getting engrossed in an interesting passage about potion and counter curse interaction. Once she finished the section a good ten minutes later, she finally set her gaze on her pupil again.

His brow was furrowed in thought as he scratched something down on his parchment, his tongue grazing his lip every so often. Good, finally he was focused. "Here, let me look your notes over to make sure you have the important stuff. Then we'll call it a night."

Juniper reached for the paper, but Sirius jerked it away. "I'm not done yet. And you probably couldn't read my writing anyway."

Juniper raised a brow. "I need to check your work to make sure you're doing it the way the professor wants. That's the whole point of tutoring."

 **"** It's fine," Sirius snapped, narrowing his eyes at her. "And I didn't ask for help anyway. How much can another third year, especially Lily's shadow, really help me improve?"

Juniper bit her lip. She didn't quite know what to say. She didn't mind being in her sister's shadow. It worked rather well for her, actually, but she didn't like the implications he was making about her potion abilities.

"You never even raise your hand in class, you can't be that good."

She had had a brief notion to just walk away in defeat, but then he had to outright slam her potions skills. She could put up with a lot, and most times did what she could to avoid conflict, but there were two things in her life that she would not be insulted on. Her pranks and her potions. So she stood up, lips thinly pressed in her best imitation of Lily, and walked over to his chair, plucking his paper out of his hands before he had a chance to react.

"Hey! Give that back!"

She turned away from him and quickly scanned over his writing. She didn't see a single bullet point from her notes. Instead there were haphazard phrases, sketched diagrams, and a few rough equations under the title _Invisible Stench_."

"Invisible stink bombs," she noted. The charm work was decent for a first draft, but the brewing equations for for the bombs were totally botched. "This is amateur, really."

"What was that?"

Juniper startled, looking up with wide eyes into the scowling face of Sirius Black.

"I-I-" Juniper paused to compose herself. Setting her face into a firm expression, she proceeded to fold up the paper and tuck it in her pocket. "I said it was immature, not doing your work." She raised her chin a little, again trying to channel her far more confident twin. "I'll leave my notes here for you to finish copying, but I expect them back by tomorrow morning. If not, I'll send Lily to get them." She then gathered her books in her school bag, all the while ignoring Sirius's glare, and walked away.

Once she breached the library doors and reached the safety of the hallway, Juniper exhaled and her shoulders wilted a little. She wasn't sure if she could handle Sirius Black like she told Lily she could. She reached into her robes and pulled out Sirius' prank sheet again. She smiled as she read his plan while walking towards the Great Hall. At least the afternoon wasn't a total waste. The potions work of the prank was shoddy, but it could be improved upon.

* * *

This was it. Sirius could barely contain himself, drumming his fingers on the table as the students waited at their house tables for the evening feast to begin. Dumbledore was in the middle of weekly announcements before dinner, though it had devolved into some long winded speech that was half gibberish. (The man was brilliant but completely nutters sometimes.)

The Marauders' prank debut had been delayed for a few weeks, but it would be worth it. The school would soon forget the bread dragons after the chaos they unleashed. Sirius had spent hours doing a lot of the planning himself. It hadn't helped that the other Evans had taken his first draft the first week of school. He scowled. She'd treated him like a five year old, very similar to her sister, and even worse. He gritted his teeth. Almost like his mother. But she wasn't as fearsome as Lily or Walburga, so he would be rid of her soon enough. He'd made a point of acting as obstinate as possible during their tutoring sessions, mimicking her, ignoring her, playing dumb. She would be crying to Slughorn to give him a new tutor within a week he bet.

He drew out his wand from his sleeve and left it sitting in his lap under the table. He glanced at James and raised his brow. James smirked as he nodded, then glanced at Remus and Peter, who nodded in turn. The bespectacled boy then held up three fingers in a silent countdown. When they reached zero, all four boys mouthed the same charm, flicking their wands under the table. Then it happened.

Several loud noises rang throughout the great hall in quick succession, suspiciously sounding like someone passing gas. A wicked glee filled Sirius as he watched students jump in surprise, only to scrunch their faces in disgust as the stench reached their noses.

"Who was that?"James called loudly as chatter broke among the students. Many used their sleeves or grasped for napkins to cover their faces. Some even turned green and gagged. Sirius started laughing as the teachers stood up from the head table, looking across the student body with confusion. While they had heard the noises, the scent wouldn't reach their noses. They'd worked out a way so that only underage wizards could smell it. That charm had been particularly tricky, but the hours spent perfecting it had added a nice flare to their work.

Sirius' grin grew wider as he glanced at James and then the Slytherin table. They'd arranged a special surprise for snivellus. James flicked his wand again and the loudest noise of them all sounded from the Slytherin table, or Snape's bag to be specific. The Marauders howled in laughter when they saw Snape spring up in surprise from his seat, several of his nearby companions, including Sirius' own brother, Regulus, choking on the stench. Sirius opened his mouth to taunt snivellus, but didn't get the chance.

A series of loud popping noises spread throughout the hall, not like the farts, but like fireworks. Sirius and James looked up with wide eyes as white sparks lit up the dark ceiling enchanted like the night sky. They almost looked like shooting stars, falling in a shower. As they approached the ground, they changed to into an assortment red lions, gold badgers, green snakes, and blue eagles. To add insult to injury, as the sparkles faded away, a new scent wafted through the air, eliminating the odor.

The scent of... Sirius' brow scrunched as he sniffed in confusion. The scent of the beach? Fresh, salty, earthy... just like that one summer when he was young that his parents took him and Regulus to stay in a cottage on the shore. His mother had the house elf bring sandwiches out for all them to eat. That was of his few good memories He had with his parents...

"Why does the hall suddenly smell like broom polish?" James asked.

Sirius exchanged a glance with him, baffled. "What? No, it smells like-"

"Treacle tarts?" Peter interrupted.

"No, I smell chocolate." Remus frowned.

And Sirius heard about five other students say they smelled completely different things. One thing was clear though. None of them were smelling the stench they'd brewed up and no one would be talking about it either.

Marlene McKinnon, Quidditch mate of James' approached the group with a huge grin on her face. "James, which part of that was your group?" She laughed, laying a hand on his shoulder.

James blinked at her in confusion. "We planned the first part but-"

Marlene raised her brow and cut him off. "Your rival did the rest?"

"I don't know."

"You all better up your game then." Marlene whistled. "The mystery prankster might run you all out of business otherwise."

James shrugged and the laughing girl walked back down the table to her own friends. He looked at Sirius with an uncharacteristic frown. "She's right. They basically canceled out our prank. How did they figure out what we would do?" The other two boys stared at Sirius too.

"What?" Sirius scowled.

"You did come up with the idea. Did you tell anyone else what were planning?" Remus questioned.

"No!" Sirius snapped. "I never tell anyone. That would ruin the whole..." His eyes widened as he remembered. _Her._ His eyes narrowed and his mouth curled into a sneer.

* * *

Juniper stood at her table in the library, getting ready for another lesson with Sirius Black. He'd become unbearable after she'd taken his prank draft, but knowing she'd shafted all his hard work with her own prank would be enough to put up with him for a few months at least. She smiled in satisfaction.

"Who did you give it to?" She looked up from her potions notes as the librarian loudly hushed him from across the room.

"Sirius." She nodded formally, pretending she hadn't even heard his question. "I have notes jotted down over there. Why don't read over them and let me know what you have questions about. Then-"

Sirius grabbed her arm, not hard enough to hurt, but it startled Juniper. Her eyes widened when they met his chilling, grey glare.

"Who did you give my notes to?"

Juniper froze. She'd thought he wouldn't make the connection. Her heart beat picked up, she felt her lungs constrict. She pursed her lips, trying to play it cool. "I don't ever take your notes. If you've lost them, you'll just have to copy them again."

"That is not what I'm talking about!" Sirius growled. "The one with my prank on it. Who did you give it to? That's the only way that 'mystery prankster'," he quoted with his fingers and spat the term with almost disdain as Lily, "could have ruined my work."

Juniper pulled out of his grip. "What are you talking about?"

Sirius stared at her, seemingly baffled by her thickness. Juniper drew in a deep breath and felt her whole body relax. He'd bought it. Her lips curved up. She was safe.

She was about to tell Sirius off and direct him to get to work, but then he blinked at her, his fine black brow arching up strangely. His eyes narrowed. "Stop playing dumb. You're not that dense. Are you protecting your friend?"

Juniper faltered. "I already told you I don't know-"

The boy scoffed at her. "Don't waste my time." He began to stalk away, and Juniper sighed in relief, not even thinking of calling him back for his lesson. He'd gotten to close for comfort.

"I do respect your loyalty to your prankster friend, whoever they are." Juniper glanced up to see Sirius smirking at her over his shoulder. "True Gryffindor trait, though it will cost you. Wonder what Lily will have to say when I tell her you stole our prank and pulled it off yourself?"

Juniper couldn't move. Her eyes widened. Lily hadn't ever known about her pranks. She couldn't ever. That would be...

She shook her head in denial. "Sh-she won't believe you," she stuttered out.

"We'll see." Sirius chuckled and then flipped his black hair in a cocky gesture before striding out of the library.

"No!" Juniper left her books and notes, her fear and anger forcing her after her classmate. Lily couldn't know about her pranks- no one could. Those were hers.

Because of their significant height difference, it took Juniper a good few minutes of jogging through the stone corridors before she caught up to Sirius. In a bold move for her, she grabbed on his sleeve and pulled it. "Stop! You can't!"

Sirius turned around, his brows raised in surprise. When he saw, her he scowled and crossed his arms. "Excuse me?"

"You can't tell Lily it was me!" Juniper panted, leaning over slightly to catch her breath.

Sirius tilted his head. "I thought you said she wouldn't believe me. So what's the big deal?"

"You just can't!" Juniper hissed, desperation and annoyance making her uncommonly brave. But taking in Black's bored expression, she felt intimated. "She's really strict, and she'd get all suspicious," she mumbled.

Sirius barked out a laugh. "You act like she's your mother more than your sister!" He snorted. "Though I can't say I'm surprised with how up tight Evans is. Still gonna tell her."

Juniper felt close to hyperventilating. "What will it take for you not to tell her?"

Sirius scrunched his brow. "Why are you so freaked out?"

"Just tell me!"

"Fine." Sirius put a hand on his hip. "Who'd you give my prank idea to? Who's the mystery prankster?"

Juniper just looked at him with wide eyes. "I-I-" She opened her mouth, but the words wouldn't come. Could she tell him Marlene maybe? But she was friends with James. Sirius would find out it was a lie then tell Lily anyway! No, no, no, no...

Sirius squinted at her. "What's your problem? Even if I tell Evans, what would happen? S'not like it's true."

Juniper made a weird croaking when she tried to deny it again. Sirius frowned in confusion, like she was some undiscovered magical beast, but then a light entered his eyes. His jaw dropped. "Unless, it is?"

Juniper stumbled a step back. She was in full panic mode now.

"You're the mystery prankster." Sirius didn't ask, he stated it as fact, though he looked a bit disbelieving himself. He let out a derisive laugh. "That's just a bad joke."

Juniper tried to nod yes but he then continued.

"Or, one of the greatest pranks of all. Who'd think the potions professor's mute pet would be the mastermind beating me at my own game."

Juniper couldn't move, only watch the Black boy like a deer in the head lights as he walked towards her. He tapped his chin for a moment, his eyes studying her. Then he smiled. "Tell you what Evans, I'll keep your secret, _if_ you agree to start working for us instead of upstaging us."

"What?"

Sirius smirked. "You participate in the Marauders pranks and let us take all the credit, then I won't speak a word to your sister. Truce?" He offered his hand.

Juniper finally gained the ability to speak again. She swallowed hard, then asked, "You won't tell her or anyone else about my involvement?"

"Only the other Marauders." Sirius shrugged.

Juniper sighed. She didn't want to. She liked working alone, in the shadows. She didn't need anyone else's help. But what choice did she have? "Alright, truce." She grabbed Sirius's hand and shook it. "But no one else can know."

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review and tell me something you'd like to see in the future. I'm open to suggestions. If you have any questions or want to see additional content for story, you can find me on my tumblr,** _ **darkwolf76.**_


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